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Plato Bias : A Debate Between Gorgias And Socrates

Decent Essays

A debate between Gorgias and Socrates is sparked throughout Gorgias. Socrates argument consists of trying to search for the precise essence of rhetoric. Gorgias thinks you need rhetoric, whereas Socrates believes people need knowledge. In the first part of Gorgias Socrates tries to prove that an entire sphere of human exertion, persuasive speech, is morally inoperative. He believes that rhetoric doesn’t require anyone to understand about the subject matter about which they speak. Rhetoric is really only a talent for persuading people into believing something instead of arguing using knowledge. Socrates argues rhetoric is made up of telling people what they want to hear instead of telling them the truth. When Gorgias is unexpectedly not …show more content…

Socrates asks a simple question expecting a simple answer. Socrates asks Gorgias to continue to respond to his questions as briefly as possible. Gorgias claims no one can speak more briefly than he can. As Socrates goes on to question Gorgias, Socrates uses socratic irony when he says “I’m really impressed with your answers, Gorgias. I can’t imagine how they could be shorter” (Socrates 5). It is almost as if Socrates is only allowing short answers from Gorgias and does not allow him to go greater into detail. However, Socrates does this so that Gorgias can't explain his answers to put himself in a better light. So far, Socrates is controlling the debate. Socrates uses logos as he questions Gorgias if there is a difference between knowledge and belief, and Gorgias says that they are different. “Now, do you think that the state of having been taught something is the same as the state of having been convinced?” (Socrates 14). Gorgias agrees with Socrates that conviction and knowledge isn’t the same. Persuasion’s used to have someone to learn something. Socrates states that there are two different kinds of persuasion, philosophical and rhetorical, Gorgias then agrees. After Socrates has Gorgias agree with him after asking multiple questions, Socrates wants to understand exactly what has been said about rhetoric so far. Gorgias states that a

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